You might be hesitant to follow bathroom trends — after all, it's a space that's not, once you've committed to a scheme, easy to re-do. However, I'm here to tell you that bathroom trends, by in large, tend to be more timeless in nature, and they're always with the goal of making rooms that feel good to spend time in. Well, if you choose the right ones.
And that's the list I've curated here. These modern bathroom ideas are the ones I've hand-picked as an editor who gets sent 100s of projects each year to consider, from some of the world's very best designers. These are the bold, forward-thinking trends — after all, given you've arrived here, I get the sense you're not looking for a boring white bathroom — and they're the ones that are cropping up time and time again.
I last updated this guide to the big bathroom trends of 2025 at the end of last year with my predictions, and I'm happy to say none of my suggestions have been a flash in the pan design-wise. What I have done, however, is add some new trends — garnered from what my fantastic editorial team has been noticing, as well as from newly launched trend reports, and my own experience at Milan and Paris Design Weeks. And don't worry, I'll keep this report updated quarterly, as and when new bathroom trends break.
1. The Bath Trend - Step Up Baths
Freestanding bathtubs have been left in the dust in recent years, as designers have turned back to more interesting, bespoke built-in bathtub ideas. However, there's one that's emerging as the biggest bathroom trend this year — the 'step-up bath'.
Basically, it's a design that incorporates tiered levels up to the bathtub, making it feel like a softer transition, as well as providing practical benefits, too.
This design by Anna Carin Design is an example of it in its simplest form, with a single step laddering up to the tub. "We decided to position the bath at the height of the window sill so that you can look out the window while relaxing in the bath," says senior interior designer Lauren Ryan. "Incorporating a step has an added safety benefit for our clients as they get older. For families with young children or grandchildren, a step also provides a convenient seating area while bathing little ones."
2. The Tile Trend - Plaid
Some bathroom tile trends remain classics — the Zellige tile being the perfect example. However, there's also a subset of people doing more interesting things with their bathroom tiles, and the trend for woven-effect, plaid tile arrangements is one of the most popular right now.
The bathroom trend takes tiles in different color combinations and arranges them into traditional textile patterns such as plaid or gingham, or something a little different altogether.
"The overall inspiration of the home was 20s design and the client's overall affinity for pattern play," interior designer Regan Baker explains of this bathroom design. "Plaid is a nice, classic pattern and creating another woven pattern on the floor was a unique way to really lean into that love of pattern play."
3. The Mood - Member's Club
I once worked with an interiors photographer who told me that, on average, the photos of white bathrooms or kitchens he shared on Instagram got half the likes of the ones that introduced some sort of color into the mix. And, while I don’t recommend decorating with your Instagram feed in mind, it’s a definite insight into how people react to color in these sorts of spaces.
The balance is in giving your bathroom wow-factor, and still making it feel like a restful retreat — so, with that in mind, we’re seeing designers embrace rich, deep color palettes, over the likes of primary brights or soft pastels, for a more elegant, cocooning use of color. Paired then with brass accents, dramatic natural stone, and more ornamental design details, and you’ll be left with a space that has a cool, member’s club vibe.
This bathroom design, created by New York’s Crystal Sinclair, is one of my favorites of late. "I always feel like a powder bathroom should be dramatic," Crystal tells us. "It’s a small space that you can have fun with. The floor is a marble slab which matches the channeled form floating sink."
4. The Color Trend - Double Drenching
Color drenching has been an enduring trend over the last few years, especially in small spaces like the bathroom. The premise? Pare down by making all the elements the same color, and you get a softer space with less harsh contrast.
For 2025, this color trend has evolved to some degree, and we’re now seeing it expressed in monochromatic shades. So-called ‘double drenching’ works in a slightly different way to traditional color drenching, but it feels a little more sophisticated and nuanced as a way to decorate for next year.
This green bathroom, designed by Sam Donnely, designer and property developer at Merchant & Mercantile, is a perfect example. “Since there are a few layers to the design, we decided to keep the color palette monochromatic, and play with the color and tint of each layer to give the design a bit of depth,” Sam explains. “It took a couple of go's to get the color blend just right, but now it feels effortless.”
5. The Wallpaper Trend - Pattern Clashing
When it comes to wallpaper trends, we’ve seen a super-maximalist approach to using wallcoverings in a bathroom in the most design-forward projects, especially in small spaces like powder rooms.
Combining a bold wallpaper print against a similarly scaled pattern in something like a statement stone is a challenging but rewarding approach. “I think the key is to have a strong idea and to unify it in some way, and then the clashing kind of makes sense,” explains Gretchen Krebs of California-based architecture and design studio Medium Plenty, who designed this maximalist space. “The wallpaper wraps the entire room in a continuous scene like a mural and the recessed stone vanity is a solid chunk with the sink carved out. When you open the blind door and step inside, you are totally enveloped by the pattern and palette.”
6. The Enclosure - Glass Bricks
A classic 80s resurgence, the glass block bathroom is making serious moves in 2025. Also known as 'jazz bricks', this textural design makes a great alternative to tiles and, better still, it's super practical, too.
"For the last 20 years I've been gagging every time I've been confronted with a glass block from a 1980s bathroom remodel and made my feelings known. Now, my tail is between my legs, because I am smitten with the new interpretations of this Art Deco classic and am itching to use it in a project," says Bethany Adams of Bethany Adams Interiors. "Rather than ubiquitous and hefty grids of semi-opaque blobbiness, today's glass blocks are lighter, brighter, and more colorful lending an air of delicate playfulness to bathrooms."
Another reason this intriguing design idea is proving so popular in bathrooms is largely owing to its distortive effect, making it a great alternative to frosted glass in these private spaces.
7. The Faucet Trend - Antiqued Brass
When it comes to bathroom faucet trends, there’s no one real clear winner that you should definitely pick. Your choice will depend on the style of design, and how you want to piece your finishes together. However, taking a quick straw poll across the most recent projects featured on Livingetc, it seems that brass is still winning out in most design-forward spaces. Valerie Furazhenko, a Toronto-based designer and founder of Viola House Design says: “Brass, at this point, has become a timeless finish for faucets, but it’s about finding the right level of sheen and texture to suit your design.” Darker, antiqued brass is the choice for more sophisticated spaces, especially metals untreated and allowed to patina over time.
"Brass has been a popular fixture finish for years, but antique brass has taken over this year," agrees Livingetc's executive editor Pip Rich. "The subtlety of its shine, the way it just picks up the light but without too much sparkle helps to create a really relaxing space. I'm seeing designers use it as the most common choice."
Elsewhere, while dark finishes remain popular, there’s less of a focus on matte black than there once was. “Instead, I recommend options like pewter tones or blackened stainless steel, which are far less likely to fall out of fashion,” says Valerie.
8. The Mirror Trend - Undulating Metal
If there’s one designer whose work has come back to the forefront this year, it’s Jean Royère. Known for his playful design aesthetic, it’s the French designer’s wrought iron designs that are inspiring modern design aesthetics right now.
From playfully ornate dining chairs and kitchen stools to signature undulating mirrors, it’s this style that’s being seen in the coolest, most characterful bathrooms right now as a mirror trend, whether faithful Royère pieces, or new designs that rift on these decoratively-framed designs.
9. The Basin Trend - Troughs
Where the standout trend for bathroom basins had undoubtedly been statement-making single bowls before, we're seeing a more lowkey approach with the advent of the trough sink. Though still made from equally as luxurious materials, the trough sink - whether recessed into the bathroom vanity or sat atop the counter - has a more relaxed feel, and offers a still-generous, but slightly more subtle option to the traditional double sink that feels more streamlined and minimalist.
"We're seeing more of these trough sinks over 'his and her' basins," says Livingetc's interiors editor Emma Breislin. "They offer more sink space, and are easier to clean — you just need to make sure you design it in a way that doesn't leave you lacking in countertop space, though."
10. The Shower Trend - Slab Showers
The most dynamic and exciting shower trend in 2025? The slab shower. The basic premise of this design is that you use solid slabs of beautiful material to line your shower enclosure, instead of the likes of tiles.
If you're going to invest in a slab of marble, granite, or quartzite, it makes for one of the largest, most impressive ways to show it off. "The seamless floor-to-ceiling application clearly allows you to see all the details of the slab and draws your eye up," says interior designer Emily Ruff of Cohesively Created.
Given the size the stone slabs come in, it's largely an efficient way to use an expensive material too, with little going to waste.
11. The Stone Trend - Onyx and Quartzite
Marble is again one of those timeless bathroom trends, but designers are experimenting with stones that bring different qualities to the table. The likes of quartzite and onyx have more of a translucent softness to them, that feels a little more natural and relenting in a bathroom than swathes of monolithic marble sometimes can.
"We love using onyx in interior design for its unique coloring and veining, which brings a luxurious yet light feel to any space," Margaret Alvarez of Made by Moniomi who designed the bathroom pictured above, tells me. "The range in pattern intensity makes it especially fun to work with: some slabs are bold and dramatic, while others are softer and more subtle."
FAQs
What Colors Are On Trend for Bathrooms?
As well as our picks above, there are often trending colors you can look at for the bathroom for 2025. Terracottas, reds, and salmon pinks are among the big color trends for the year — all colors that haven't traditionally been used in bathrooms much.
"More and more, we see the bathroom as a space to relax, rather than just as a functional room," says Livingetc's executive editor Pip Rich. "And that includes during the five-minute morning dash while you do your teeth - why shouldn't it soothe you then, too? Terracotta and peachy tones are perfect to do this - pair warm orange-y tiles with soft, plaster pink walls. Heaven."
For another on-trend look, turn to other 'ugly' colors, like browns and olive greens, for the next step in the evolution of bathroom color ideas.
